What an experience! While it was disappointing to taste La Tache gone bad, it is part of the Burgundy experience. I really enjoyed talking DRC and Burgundy with you!
Thanks for making the video - It reflects my own DRC tasting notes - Tasted 1500 wines since 1998 (at least w.notes), had DRC 9 times - 1995 all reds (in 2001), 2009 Riche, 2019 Vivant, 2017 Tache and they've always been tasting "too young". Best was the 1995 La Tache in 2001. By far the best young red Bourg was a 2018 Riche from Bichot and the best mature was a 1964 Chambertin Clos de Beze from Domaine something not famous. I will still keep hunting for those rare moments of a DRC with age - Dream wine for 50 bday is a Conti 1989 but it is salary savings for 7 months for 1 bottle where perfect Bx is 14 times cheaper.
This is incredibly invaluable having documented a corked (or bad) DRC. Yes, it was an expensive lesson, but also one shared amongst many and for that I am appreciative. Thank you for the lovely video.
It's actually quite an interesting experience. The question that has now been raised is: Was it a bad bottle or was it a fake? We're continuing to follow up on some interesting points brought up by viewers.
Don't mean to be pompous, but... DRC produces three grand cru whites, yet only two are commercially available: Corton Charlemagne and Montrachet. The first vintage of Corton Charlemagne was in 2019. DRC also produces a small amount of red premier crus from the Petits Monts vineyard. There's a bit of danger in trusting someone just because they're a sommelier. Bernard Noblet retired, and the new winemaker is not his son. Also, the owner has no children, so there are no "father and son" relationships. Premox exists in red Burgundy but is extremely rare. DRC reds have never had any issues with premox. Regarding color, perfectly correct red Burgundies can be cloudy. Also, the cause for premature oxidation in white burgundy is not just defective corks but a number of other reasons. I am not doubting the 02 La Tache was bad, which is a shame as it is a great wine, but there seems to be a bit of misinformation. There is absolutely no way to paying $6k for a bottle of wine but La Tache is the best wine made for some of us, equal to Romanee Conti but just different. P.S. It is best to just say DRC or you kinda need to add "de" i.e. Domaine de la Romanee Conti.
Good stuff! Our goal is to learn as much as we can while sharing our experience with viewers. Thank you for taking the time to share. You do not sound pompous and we're happy to get input.
By most accounts, Rudy's wines were quite good! A lot of experienced wine drinkers were completely fooled for a long time before he was found out. His wines were fraudulent, but I'd be happy to have a glass!
Thank you for your kind words. We've done a lot of follow-up with Acker since the video and they've been really forthcoming in terms of provenance and authentication. They may do something to help the channel with our bad experience - we'll see. Stay tuned!
I was fortunate enough to purchase a bottle of 2018 La Tache directly from LCBO lottery in Ontario Canada. Was shipped with the original straw (straw-like grass) wrapping. So I’m the first retail owner of the bottle so at least I know the provenance is good. My price was $1,500.00 Canadian dollars. This is the one wine in my collection that may be a candidate for resale down the road but for now it’s resting in one of my wine fridges at 53 F. Crossing my fingers for a clear and fresh wine when it’s eventually opened. Thank you for the video and I can appreciate the disappointment in your La Tache. Unfortunately we all get a bad bottle now and then which we never want no matter what the price and scarcity.
@@OurPourDecisionsawesome right I got lucky enough to do the same kinda thing with 3 friends in 90s we got a case of LA tch now you can't buy a bottle for what we paid.
@@davidkarin3443for the timing of the lottery I recommend opting in for emails from vintages online. They send allocation and first-come-first-serve offers periodically. The timing of my La Tache purchase was January 2022.
Proof is in the drinking. Honest video. Thanks for having the courage to be honest in tasting of this icon wine. 15 years ago I had a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux 1982. Not a great year for Burgundy I admit but I didn't get it. It was really poor stuff. Fundamentally DRC wines are great wines no question about it. But for a lot of rich people also the pinnacle of snobbery ;-) In my opinion they are rarely drunk but sold on a lot. Investment wines
I tried a 2010 La Tache several years ago and here is what I thought about it (note taken from my Delectable page). Splurge night! What the heck? La Tache by the ounce. Why not. I can now say I have tried it. Not sure how to describe and rate this wine. On the one hand I know the pedigree. On the other hand I know my palate and what I like. I think the wine has some great character but I find the acidity to be well beyond what I like in a wine. The minerality and earthiness comes across well before the fruit. Not sure that is the order I like. I know I will never buy a bottle of this wine but I have always wanted to taste it. Check off that item from my bucket list.
I appreciate the honesty of this video. Now, is there a less expensive wine that would taste better than this and offer a better value for the money? The person who sold you this wine ought to stand behind it and give you another bottle. It's clearly spoiled and a bad bottle. At least that's what they do at my liquor store. In the rare wine room they tell you up front if you get a bad bottle we will replace it.
They purchased this wine at auction. With both personal and professional experience using Acker (the auction house they used), I can tell you they won't replace the bottle or refund the customer. When it comes to auction, you have to accept "shit happens" and eat the cost of the bottle.
@@CembaloMeister This is certainly not a good way to do business. They would have been better off buying this wine from private wine dealer. The liquor store in my area has a rare wine section and they told me right out, that they would certainly replace a bad bottle. I would have brought the opened bottle back to them and let them taste it, and they would have gladly replaced it. And, they deal with some really expensive wines. Some go as high at $5,000 a bottle.
You're right about "shit happens" policy with old bottles. We bought this particular bottle from the Acker store in Manhattan but I believe the policy is the same. Would be interesting to see what they have to say, but I'm suspicious it's just "sorry, that's life of old burgs."
I agree if the bottle is new. Once an old bottle has changed hands multiple times (potentially), it's hard to hold the retailer responsible. And yes - many bottles that are far less expensive and just as delicious!
Many great pinots in Europe past burgundy now adays. Austria grand select pinots are fantastic for a $100. Swiss pinot, Gantenbein more the burgudy style. If you have it would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Enlightening video. Sorry for that bottle. Isnt the underlying lesson to not chase scarcity but chase drinkability and quality which will typically translate to lower costs? Well done thank you for the education.
I’ll never be able to afford a Grand Cru, though the first case of my premier cru 2022 Gevrey Chambertin has now arrived from Burgundy. Two more cases to arrive! 😊
So much information explained clearly in this great video! While keeping it real in being honest about the wine having gone bad. An excellent learning experience ( for both creators and viewers). Could you have made vinegar from the remainder of this undrinkable La Tache? You could have been the rare table having $7k La Tache vinegar
For wines of this level, provenance is paramount! It was so unfortunate but as was pointed out in the video, it’s a risk that most of us fine wine collectors take. My bottles of La Tache come from France and from Benchmark Wine Group (where I have had good luck with their provenance) but there are still NO guarantees!
Once I had a bottle of 30 year old Bordeaux, at the opening of the bottle it was clear and tasty, half an hour later it became cloudy but still tasted alright, an hour later it became murky and tasted almost vinegar!
It certainly happens to some wines. This bottle was bad from the start. We tested it immediately upon opening and although we hoped it would improve over time, it did not. :(
That’s the only real “tears” in a wine, pouring a La Tache down the sink….. 😢😢😢. Worst so far was a 74 Chateau LaTour….. it was a gift and hadn’t been stored well. Lead salts on the capsule, and when I went to open it the cork basically dropped into the wine….yep, no rescuing that wine…. I did just open a 2000 dessert wine from Liguria, and it was a bit maderized. Most of the ones that have been bad had cork taint, including a Dom Perignon P3, and others. Almost 100% of the time the shops replaced the bottle or replaced with something similar, but wine lives in a bottle and if it’s not tainted, but past its prime, then your only recourse is exactly what you did, or drink it, not many options. Like you mentioned, it comes with the territory and if you drink enough you will run into that.
Sadly this is "the way" when it comes to stupidly high-end bottles. Always sold "as-is" and no recourse to the buyer. Definitely scared me off paying the big bucks and makes it more "reasonable" paying restaurant premiums when at least you have that guarantee of a sommelier checking it's good and a new bottle if something is wrong. Look forward to seeing more videos from you!
It's an interesting question. We've been working with Acker on it and they've been very forthcoming about prevenance and authentication. I should ask what position DRC usually takes on bad bottles.
Some comments, - A Birkin bag is a poor comparsion - You can always just make more Birkin bags. La Tache is a finite vineyard that cannot be changed and cannot produce more than it does. - Yes DRC wines is the most expensive DOMAINE in the world, but of the individual bottles only Romanee-Conti is completely out of reach, the others are sometimes part of tastings. - DRC being the most exciting for Bourg fans - Kinda, but most Bourg fans quickly branch out to Ramonet, Leroy, Rousseau cause DRC (and Leroy) is seen as showing off wealth.
Sad. I see, after drink a lot of and for a long time, that light and/or heat punish Pinot Noir more than other wines through the time. I almost just have Pinot Noir from Burgundy at home (in Brazil). So dark and cool cellar is not optional to keep they alive for years and we have to make shure that this happens from the winery door. Hard.
Agree, a lot of things can go wrong during transport in hot climates. Who knows what happened with this particular bottle. It's so frustrating nonetheless.
Things like that happen, especially when you buy big names. They may be heavenly, they may be less than average. Surprises happen in all directions... and even (as they mention) each bottle of a batch may be different in quality. My solution: I always buy at least 3 bottles. And I try to chose based on my own experience at tastings. Does it always work? No!
I live in Sonoma County, California. I love Pinot Noir. I think I'll stick with my favorite Russian River and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs. Where we have many single vineyard boutique vintners.
Something was wrong with this bottle. Burgundy is not a let down. You should drink more of it. Also, It seems that it wouldn’t have affected the outcome here, but at the beginning you said that you opened the bottle a couple hours before drinking it? How did you make the decision to do that? Did you consult the Sommelier to do that? Pinot Noir trends to the medium bodied, and old Pinot noir is said to be ethereal - as in it has a very short shelf life once it’s opened. It’s not like a huge younger Screaming Eagle cab that you want oxygenate by opening and or decanting way ahead of drinking to soften the tannins, etc. I was always taught to open and drink old Pinots some what “quickly” before they die.
Yes, this bottle was not representative for the wine. It was a bad bottle for sure. We explain this at the end of the video. We opened the bottle an hour before filming but did not decant for the reasons you mentioned. We tasted the wine immediately upon opening and continued to taste throughout. We wanted to see what happened over time during slow ox. However, the bottle started bad and just got worse. It's just one of those bad bottles. Incredibly frustrating.
That's interesting to hear. Several Burgundy producers started using wax seals to combat premox but I don't think I've seen it on regular-sized DRCs. Please do share specifics if you have seen it.
Same wine as you opened can see the wax ua-cam.com/video/-LLMfMKoMUU/v-deo.htmlsi=BKDjQM_c6deaXg2J I have opened some and all had wax little layer and got mine from vineyard
Cloudiness is bad in an unfiltered DRC Pinot? You gotta go out and try a lot of fantastic PN before that test is failed! And, you should've tasted right away, to see where the wine was before letting it stew. Brave attempt overall though. Be flexible!
Great points. I always taste the wine out of the bottle to see if it's bad. The DRC was suspect from the start but got worse over time. Some winemakers will filter because they point out all the things that can go bad. Other don't filter because they think it negatively affect the wine. You'll find people on both sides of the argument. However, just because it's not filtered does not suggest it should be cloudy. Cloudiness suggests things are going on in the bottle that shouldn't be. It doesn't mean the bottle is bad but it's typically not desired.
@@japassarelli So true! Delicate wines and delicate flavors will waft off if you swirl before smelling, so I always sniff first. Then swirl and sniff again. Excessive swirling can be a nervous habit and some of those most delicate flavors, especially in Pinot noir, can disappear without first being loved on!
A number of viewers asked questions about this and some even raised issues about the cork. Acker has been extremely forthcoming and given us the provenance as well as working with the authenticator to match cork lot #'s etc. It appears that it was simply a bad bottle.
So disappointing, to say the least. Unfortunately a nuance of wine collecting. Albeit the least favourable outcome, it was certainly handled with grace and elegance. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I’m grateful to have stumbled upon your channel, I’ve watched all your content thus far. Really high quality and extremely enjoyable. Please keep going, perfect for the wine enthusiast alike! Cheers 🍷 can’t wait for the next one!
Dudes! 4 glasses from one bottle?!?! Might as well save the trouble and drink straight from the bottle. In France 6 or 7 is the norm. Nice video though
LOL - you should see the video through to the end when we pour out the rest of the bottle. So sad. I'd say 6 glasses to a bottle but not when my brother is around.....I have to watch him carefully!
Very frustrating to see an obviously flawed bottle on the channel. Why didn't your somm directly call out the volatile acidity (VA) flaw? This is not at all how DRC tastes. If you got this at a restaurant, this is when you send the wine back. If you buy from a reputable retailer, not an auction house, you can return a defective wine like this at good stores.
Great points. A little bit of background; The bottle was purchased at Acker in NYC some time ago. I owned the bottle for some time so it's mine. The bottle was not good when we first opened it but it got worse over time. I think we made the point that it was a bad bottle and not representative of a DRC. However, it did raise an important point, which is that there are a lot of older Burgundy bottles for thousands of dollars that are just simply bad. Try any Grand Cru whites from 1995-2005 and you'll find more than half are probably ruined. However, the ones that are good are amazing. We are working with Acker who have both verified the authenticity of the bottle and provenance. They are working with our channel to see if they can come up with something to make up for the bad experience. They've been extremely forthcoming so far. Stay tuned for more!
Disappointing, I had a 96 Pommard Hospice Drouhin this week and it was fantastic. Paid €45, never had a bad bottle of burgundy in the last 40 years. Some of the best bottles I had were from producers with poor reputations who bought in grapes. Ha
As a guy who has gotten a lot of DRC over the last 5+ years direct from the wholesaler, the risk/reward ratio just isn't worth the price in my opinion. I sell everything I get as soon as it comes in, and I am very happy to have the dough. I've contemplated on keeping the RC RC, but the money I get offered is impossible to turn down. As much as I would like to have a bottle in my cellar, I'm not willing to take the risk of it not living up to my expectations, or being an off bottle. I'm not sure what tax bracket you're in, but unless you're in the 1% who can afford a case if it is offered to you, it is very painful to have a bottle like this. 5k + for a bottle of Tache can buy you a ton of lesser expensive wine in quantity that can be equally thrilling in my opinion. The last 2 years I have saved the RSV as it is the hardest bottle to sell, and the least desirable among their wines. I will continue to do so, and probably open them with friends. Hopefully they won't meet the same fate as your bottle.
Not sure. Many good options - it really comes down to personal preference. My friends always want me to pick the wine when we go out to dinner but I never want to. I would try different wines and find your favorite. I'm always skeptical of people of profess to have "the answer". If you like it, then it's good. If you love it, buy some more. Thank you for watching the channel - sorry I'm not being more helpful.
Uhm... I guess you picked a bottle that hasn't been perfectly stored, I would guess: sorry! My proposal would be to taste once a Musigny Grand Cru - but one finds there different producers and different vintages too.
There are some scars from past sins for sure but Acker has been very forthcoming with the authentication and provenance of this particular bottle. I think they are considering something to make it up to our channel so we'll see. Stay tuned.
Oh, mate. Totally gutted for you and that wine. Begs the question as to why wine bottled using cork during that period with the known faults, demand such high prices. What is the failure rate? If you r ever in New Zealand, head to Central Otago for the amazing Pinots down there.
These highly collectible wines can never live up to their lofty prices. To me, no wine is worth $100, much less 7k. I’ve been blown away by a $50 bottle of Burg - 1999 Simon Bize Aux Vergelesses. I would rather spend $7k on 140 different $50 bottles and find dozens of beautiful gems than one bottle that may or may not be great.
Don't disagree with your assessment. A lot of times expensive bottles are more about the rarity and exclusivity. I've certainly tried amazing bottles at $50!
@@OurPourDecisions100% agree with your statement. the grand cru and premier cru classification was created in 1855 and nowadays many of the sites are not living up to their standards anymore. reason for this is the ongoing climate change, resulting in too much exposure and heat in the famous vinyards, so the wine is no longer able to develop the complexity and elegance it used to have. therefore lesser known plots are now able to produce magnificent quality but people stil want the grand cru stamp on the lable of their wine and are willing to pay the price for it.
Have to disagree on the $100 limit. Although I have had my share of disappointing $200-400 bottles, there are some wines that are clearly worth it. The 2016 Chateau Pichon Baron, about $260 a bottle, is spectacular. Nearly any wine from the village of Chambolle Musigny will set you back a hundy, but will likely be sublime. Just my two cents! ☮️
Great video. However, the problem with conventional wine people/educators is that they don’t call it how it is like for example Gary Vaynerchuk does. It’s better to say straight up that this DRC wine is corked and will taste like shit no matter who is the producer, secondly the 10k bottle won’t taste much different to a great 50 dollar bottle, especially to a lay person who has not tasted a lot of wine. For newer wine drinkers it’s important to try many kinds of wines and learn what tastes good to your own pallet. Just going by price and thinking “it’s expensive, so it must be good” will lead you nowhere.
@@OurPourDecisions if retail you should take it back .. your cellar conditions are immaculate. They would go back to their source. At a minimum they should know it went bad so they don’t buy from that source again. The winery would be beside themselves that you had a bad experience. In all the wine I drink I’ve only had a couple corked, but the wineries will replaced immediately.
If a wine it's faulty (in this case bc it has VA), you shouldn't be jumping into conclusions and telling it's disapointing. The wine should be returned. It's a nice video, but it gives the impression that the conclusion is "La Tache is a dissapointing wine".
I really liked the honesty in saying what the wine was, not what it should have been given its price. It’s disappointing, but educating. Keep it up.
Thank you so much! We are so glad you enjoyed the video. Plenty of more videos to come 😊
What an experience! While it was disappointing to taste La Tache gone bad, it is part of the Burgundy experience. I really enjoyed talking DRC and Burgundy with you!
Great honesty. Wonderful review
Thanks for making the video - It reflects my own DRC tasting notes - Tasted 1500 wines since 1998 (at least w.notes), had DRC 9 times - 1995 all reds (in 2001), 2009 Riche, 2019 Vivant, 2017 Tache and they've always been tasting "too young". Best was the 1995 La Tache in 2001. By far the best young red Bourg was a 2018 Riche from Bichot and the best mature was a 1964 Chambertin Clos de Beze from Domaine something not famous.
I will still keep hunting for those rare moments of a DRC with age - Dream wine for 50 bday is a Conti 1989 but it is salary savings for 7 months for 1 bottle where perfect Bx is 14 times cheaper.
This is incredibly invaluable having documented a corked (or bad) DRC. Yes, it was an expensive lesson, but also one shared amongst many and for that I am appreciative. Thank you for the lovely video.
It's actually quite an interesting experience. The question that has now been raised is: Was it a bad bottle or was it a fake? We're continuing to follow up on some interesting points brought up by viewers.
Don't mean to be pompous, but... DRC produces three grand cru whites, yet only two are commercially available: Corton Charlemagne and Montrachet. The first vintage of Corton Charlemagne was in 2019. DRC also produces a small amount of red premier crus from the Petits Monts vineyard. There's a bit of danger in trusting someone just because they're a sommelier. Bernard Noblet retired, and the new winemaker is not his son. Also, the owner has no children, so there are no "father and son" relationships. Premox exists in red Burgundy but is extremely rare. DRC reds have never had any issues with premox. Regarding color, perfectly correct red Burgundies can be cloudy. Also, the cause for premature oxidation in white burgundy is not just defective corks but a number of other reasons. I am not doubting the 02 La Tache was bad, which is a shame as it is a great wine, but there seems to be a bit of misinformation. There is absolutely no way to paying $6k for a bottle of wine but La Tache is the best wine made for some of us, equal to Romanee Conti but just different. P.S. It is best to just say DRC or you kinda need to add "de" i.e. Domaine de la Romanee Conti.
Good stuff! Our goal is to learn as much as we can while sharing our experience with viewers. Thank you for taking the time to share. You do not sound pompous and we're happy to get input.
Acker has a history of counterfeit wines/bourbon. I truly hope this wasn’t a Kurniawan wine. What a bummer. Beyond impressed with how you handled it.
Thank you so much. Yes it was real bummer and such a letdown. I don't think it was a fake - just a really bad bottle.
By most accounts, Rudy's wines were quite good! A lot of experienced wine drinkers were completely fooled for a long time before he was found out. His wines were fraudulent, but I'd be happy to have a glass!
So informative! I could almost taste the wine with your descriptions!Love all the history. Beautifully done.
Just came across this channel and I like it. Gutting about La Tache but buying DRC from Acker is highly risky given association with Rudy
Thank you for your kind words. We've done a lot of follow-up with Acker since the video and they've been really forthcoming in terms of provenance and authentication. They may do something to help the channel with our bad experience - we'll see. Stay tuned!
Yes, i agree it was a fake. No way a DRC is like that.
I was fortunate enough to purchase a bottle of 2018 La Tache directly from LCBO lottery in Ontario Canada. Was shipped with the original straw (straw-like grass) wrapping. So I’m the first retail owner of the bottle so at least I know the provenance is good. My price was $1,500.00 Canadian dollars. This is the one wine in my collection that may be a candidate for resale down the road but for now it’s resting in one of my wine fridges at 53 F. Crossing my fingers for a clear and fresh wine when it’s eventually opened. Thank you for the video and I can appreciate the disappointment in your La Tache. Unfortunately we all get a bad bottle now and then which we never want no matter what the price and scarcity.
What a great purchase! I know the straw you're talking about - I bought some 2011 DRC direct and it came in the straw sleaves as well.
When does LCBO usually do that lottery? I’d love to try get my hands on one.
@@OurPourDecisionsawesome right I got lucky enough to do the same kinda thing with 3 friends in 90s we got a case of LA tch now you can't buy a bottle for what we paid.
@@davidkarin3443for the timing of the lottery I recommend opting in for emails from vintages online. They send allocation and first-come-first-serve offers periodically. The timing of my La Tache purchase was January 2022.
Proof is in the drinking. Honest video. Thanks for having the courage to be honest in tasting of this icon wine. 15 years ago I had a Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Échézeaux 1982. Not a great year for Burgundy I admit but I didn't get it. It was really poor stuff. Fundamentally DRC wines are great wines no question about it. But for a lot of rich people also the pinnacle of snobbery ;-) In my opinion they are rarely drunk but sold on a lot. Investment wines
So glad I found this channel last night. Wishing you both all the best, and hope you guys will
Keep at this!
Thank you - we'll keep it going if you keep watching! :-)
I tried a 2010 La Tache several years ago and here is what I thought about it (note taken from my Delectable page). Splurge night! What the heck? La Tache by the ounce. Why not. I can now say I have tried it. Not sure how to describe and rate this wine. On the one hand I know the pedigree. On the other hand I know my palate and what I like. I think the wine has some great character but I find the acidity to be well beyond what I like in a wine. The minerality and earthiness comes across well before the fruit. Not sure that is the order I like. I know I will never buy a bottle of this wine but I have always wanted to taste it. Check off that item from my bucket list.
Love your comment. Sometimes nice to try something and say "not for me".
I appreciate the honesty of this video. Now, is there a less expensive wine that would taste better than this and offer a better value for the money? The person who sold you this wine ought to stand behind it and give you another bottle. It's clearly spoiled and a bad bottle. At least that's what they do at my liquor store. In the rare wine room they tell you up front if you get a bad bottle we will replace it.
They purchased this wine at auction. With both personal and professional experience using Acker (the auction house they used), I can tell you they won't replace the bottle or refund the customer. When it comes to auction, you have to accept "shit happens" and eat the cost of the bottle.
@@CembaloMeister This is certainly not a good way to do business.
They would have been better off buying this wine from private wine dealer. The liquor store in my area has a rare wine section and they told me right out, that they would certainly replace a bad bottle. I would have brought the opened bottle back to them and let them taste it, and they would have gladly replaced it. And, they deal with some really expensive wines. Some go as high at $5,000 a bottle.
You're right about "shit happens" policy with old bottles. We bought this particular bottle from the Acker store in Manhattan but I believe the policy is the same. Would be interesting to see what they have to say, but I'm suspicious it's just "sorry, that's life of old burgs."
I agree if the bottle is new. Once an old bottle has changed hands multiple times (potentially), it's hard to hold the retailer responsible.
And yes - many bottles that are far less expensive and just as delicious!
That's a great policy and certainly reassuring.
Ugh understand how bummed you must feel! But loved the honesty of this. Would be interesting to see a side by side of Burgundy and a New World Pinot!
Thank you for being so authentic
Many great pinots in Europe past burgundy now adays. Austria grand select pinots are fantastic for a $100. Swiss pinot, Gantenbein more the burgudy style. If you have it would love to hear your thoughts on it!
Don't know the Austrian wines well. Had a few Gruner Veltliners but that's it. Now you have me interested!!
I’ll help you taste the next bottle! Well done, Marius and Berit! 🍷
Enlightening video. Sorry for that bottle. Isnt the underlying lesson to not chase scarcity but chase drinkability and quality which will typically translate to lower costs? Well done thank you for the education.
I’ll never be able to afford a Grand Cru, though the first case of my premier cru 2022 Gevrey Chambertin has now arrived from Burgundy. Two more cases to arrive! 😊
So excited for you! I think Premier Crus will often drink as well as Grand Crus.
So much information explained clearly in this great video! While keeping it real in being honest about the wine having gone bad. An excellent learning experience ( for both creators and viewers).
Could you have made vinegar from the remainder of this undrinkable La Tache? You could have been the rare table having $7k La Tache vinegar
Ah, there's a lost opportunity - $7,000 La Tache vinegar! LOL. So glad you liked the video.
I bought a 6 pack of 1977 Ferreira Port from Aker several years ago and 5 of the bottles were bad/corked.
For wines of this level, provenance is paramount! It was so unfortunate but as was pointed out in the video, it’s a risk that most of us fine wine collectors take. My bottles of La Tache come from France and from Benchmark Wine Group (where I have had good luck with their provenance) but there are still NO guarantees!
did you save your receipt ? for return credit .
We're following up with Acker.
Once I had a bottle of 30 year old Bordeaux, at the opening of the bottle it was clear and tasty, half an hour later it became cloudy but still tasted alright, an hour later it became murky and tasted almost vinegar!
It certainly happens to some wines. This bottle was bad from the start. We tested it immediately upon opening and although we hoped it would improve over time, it did not. :(
That’s the only real “tears” in a wine, pouring a La Tache down the sink….. 😢😢😢. Worst so far was a 74 Chateau LaTour….. it was a gift and hadn’t been stored well. Lead salts on the capsule, and when I went to open it the cork basically dropped into the wine….yep, no rescuing that wine…. I did just open a 2000 dessert wine from Liguria, and it was a bit maderized. Most of the ones that have been bad had cork taint, including a Dom Perignon P3, and others. Almost 100% of the time the shops replaced the bottle or replaced with something similar, but wine lives in a bottle and if it’s not tainted, but past its prime, then your only recourse is exactly what you did, or drink it, not many options. Like you mentioned, it comes with the territory and if you drink enough you will run into that.
It was particularly sad because we had such high hopes for the wine. Sorry to hear you've had similar letdowns in the past.
@@OurPourDecisions part of drinking older wines…..sometimes even the best provenance doesn’t remove the risk of it just being a bad bottle. Cheers!
Agree. Cheers!
Great video and indeed educating and honest.
Sadly this is "the way" when it comes to stupidly high-end bottles. Always sold "as-is" and no recourse to the buyer. Definitely scared me off paying the big bucks and makes it more "reasonable" paying restaurant premiums when at least you have that guarantee of a sommelier checking it's good and a new bottle if something is wrong. Look forward to seeing more videos from you!
Thank you for sharing the experience. I wish you better luck the next time!
hey, thanks for the honesty
What about Pêra Manca portuguese...?
Would the wine producer do anything about that?
It's an interesting question. We've been working with Acker on it and they've been very forthcoming about prevenance and authentication. I should ask what position DRC usually takes on bad bottles.
Would you buy it again?
Some comments,
- A Birkin bag is a poor comparsion - You can always just make more Birkin bags. La Tache is a finite vineyard that cannot be changed and cannot produce more than it does.
- Yes DRC wines is the most expensive DOMAINE in the world, but of the individual bottles only Romanee-Conti is completely out of reach, the others are sometimes part of tastings.
- DRC being the most exciting for Bourg fans - Kinda, but most Bourg fans quickly branch out to Ramonet, Leroy, Rousseau cause DRC (and Leroy) is seen as showing off wealth.
Sad. I see, after drink a lot of and for a long time, that light and/or heat punish Pinot Noir more than other wines through the time. I almost just have Pinot Noir from Burgundy at home (in Brazil). So dark and cool cellar is not optional to keep they alive for years and we have to make shure that this happens from the winery door. Hard.
Agree, a lot of things can go wrong during transport in hot climates. Who knows what happened with this particular bottle. It's so frustrating nonetheless.
Things like that happen, especially when you buy big names. They may be heavenly, they may be less than average. Surprises happen in all directions... and even (as they mention) each bottle of a batch may be different in quality. My solution: I always buy at least 3 bottles. And I try to chose based on my own experience at tastings. Does it always work? No!
Honest review
We'll need to do a "proper" review again with a bottle that's not flawed.
I live in Sonoma County, California. I love Pinot Noir. I think I'll stick with my favorite Russian River and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noirs. Where we have many single vineyard boutique vintners.
You're in a very good place for nice Pinots. Lucky you!
Something was wrong with this bottle. Burgundy is not a let down. You should drink more of it. Also, It seems that it wouldn’t have affected the outcome here, but at the beginning you said that you opened the bottle a couple hours before drinking it? How did you make the decision to do that? Did you consult the Sommelier to do that? Pinot Noir trends to the medium bodied, and old Pinot noir is said to be ethereal - as in it has a very short shelf life once it’s opened. It’s not like a huge younger Screaming Eagle cab that you want oxygenate by opening and or decanting way ahead of drinking to soften the tannins, etc. I was always taught to open and drink old Pinots some what “quickly” before they die.
Yes, this bottle was not representative for the wine. It was a bad bottle for sure. We explain this at the end of the video. We opened the bottle an hour before filming but did not decant for the reasons you mentioned. We tasted the wine immediately upon opening and continued to taste throughout. We wanted to see what happened over time during slow ox. However, the bottle started bad and just got worse. It's just one of those bad bottles. Incredibly frustrating.
Great video. Subscribed! That’s one beautiful cellar behind you.
We love to hear that! Thanks so much. We are hoping to do a wine cellar tour very soon!
Oh no ... So sad !!!! This should have been an amazing experience ...
I know.......:(
I have opened a few of these bottles there normally a wax seal on top of the cork and don't see it on your bottle
That's interesting to hear. Several Burgundy producers started using wax seals to combat premox but I don't think I've seen it on regular-sized DRCs. Please do share specifics if you have seen it.
@@OurPourDecisions I've o ly seen it on normal sized bottles yours the only one not seen it on just youtube Drc openings and will see it on there
@@OurPourDecisions ua-cam.com/users/shortslf9-82egpoE?si=hiIEXx8tNeM9yOcI
@OurPourDecisions can see the wax on the cork on table ua-cam.com/video/-jjGlYCniV4/v-deo.htmlsi=kMOfHjG-xXkYM_If
Same wine as you opened can see the wax ua-cam.com/video/-LLMfMKoMUU/v-deo.htmlsi=BKDjQM_c6deaXg2J I have opened some and all had wax little layer and got mine from vineyard
Love you made the effort! Thanks for sharing.. feel with you😢
Experienced almost exactly the same for 1989 RC
Ugh - so sorry to hear. It happens a lot. We plan on doing an episode on flawed bottles soon and will explore causes more in detail.
Cloudiness is bad in an unfiltered DRC Pinot? You gotta go out and try a lot of fantastic PN before that test is failed! And, you should've tasted right away, to see where the wine was before letting it stew. Brave attempt overall though. Be flexible!
Great points. I always taste the wine out of the bottle to see if it's bad. The DRC was suspect from the start but got worse over time. Some winemakers will filter because they point out all the things that can go bad. Other don't filter because they think it negatively affect the wine. You'll find people on both sides of the argument. However, just because it's not filtered does not suggest it should be cloudy. Cloudiness suggests things are going on in the bottle that shouldn't be. It doesn't mean the bottle is bad but it's typically not desired.
That’s Rudy wine from Acker!!!!
for sure something off
I almost cried.
The sommelier did not swirl the glass prior to smelling it?? Crazy!!!
You swirl it after you smell it without swirling
@@japassarelli So true! Delicate wines and delicate flavors will waft off if you swirl before smelling, so I always sniff first. Then swirl and sniff again. Excessive swirling can be a nervous habit and some of those most delicate flavors, especially in Pinot noir, can disappear without first being loved on!
Wonder if that was one of Rudy Kurniawan’s fake wines he sold with Acker?
law of diminishing return.. after certain price point, you end up paying for marketing and brand name.
I assume you confirmed provenance of the bottle. That it wasn’t counterfeit
A number of viewers asked questions about this and some even raised issues about the cork. Acker has been extremely forthcoming and given us the provenance as well as working with the authenticator to match cork lot #'s etc. It appears that it was simply a bad bottle.
So disappointing, to say the least. Unfortunately a nuance of wine collecting. Albeit the least favourable outcome, it was certainly handled with grace and elegance. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I’m grateful to have stumbled upon your channel, I’ve watched all your content thus far. Really high quality and extremely enjoyable. Please keep going, perfect for the wine enthusiast alike! Cheers 🍷 can’t wait for the next one!
Thank you for an incredibly kind comment. Makes this even more fun when we hear from people like yourself.
Dudes! 4 glasses from one bottle?!?! Might as well save the trouble and drink straight from the bottle. In France 6 or 7 is the norm. Nice video though
LOL - you should see the video through to the end when we pour out the rest of the bottle. So sad. I'd say 6 glasses to a bottle but not when my brother is around.....I have to watch him carefully!
Very frustrating to see an obviously flawed bottle on the channel. Why didn't your somm directly call out the volatile acidity (VA) flaw? This is not at all how DRC tastes. If you got this at a restaurant, this is when you send the wine back. If you buy from a reputable retailer, not an auction house, you can return a defective wine like this at good stores.
Great points. A little bit of background; The bottle was purchased at Acker in NYC some time ago. I owned the bottle for some time so it's mine. The bottle was not good when we first opened it but it got worse over time. I think we made the point that it was a bad bottle and not representative of a DRC. However, it did raise an important point, which is that there are a lot of older Burgundy bottles for thousands of dollars that are just simply bad. Try any Grand Cru whites from 1995-2005 and you'll find more than half are probably ruined. However, the ones that are good are amazing.
We are working with Acker who have both verified the authenticity of the bottle and provenance. They are working with our channel to see if they can come up with something to make up for the bad experience. They've been extremely forthcoming so far. Stay tuned for more!
Disappointing, I had a 96 Pommard Hospice Drouhin this week and it was fantastic. Paid €45, never had a bad bottle of burgundy in the last 40 years. Some of the best bottles I had were from producers with poor reputations who bought in grapes. Ha
Tell La Tache to dispatch a bottle to them in compensation and support of the brand
Isn’t Acker the same dodgy merchant implicated in the Rudy Kurniawan scandal?
Sorry for your loss 😭
As a guy who has gotten a lot of DRC over the last 5+ years direct from the wholesaler, the risk/reward ratio just isn't worth the price in my opinion. I sell everything I get as soon as it comes in, and I am very happy to have the dough. I've contemplated on keeping the RC RC, but the money I get offered is impossible to turn down. As much as I would like to have a bottle in my cellar, I'm not willing to take the risk of it not living up to my expectations, or being an off bottle. I'm not sure what tax bracket you're in, but unless you're in the 1% who can afford a case if it is offered to you, it is very painful to have a bottle like this. 5k + for a bottle of Tache can buy you a ton of lesser expensive wine in quantity that can be equally thrilling in my opinion. The last 2 years I have saved the RSV as it is the hardest bottle to sell, and the least desirable among their wines. I will continue to do so, and probably open them with friends. Hopefully they won't meet the same fate as your bottle.
Thanks for sharing. I feel so sorry for you guys! What a let down :/
Thank you so much - yeah it was a real bummer...:-(
New subscriber here, sorry to see you got a flawed bottle.
Favorite $30 bottle?
Not sure. Many good options - it really comes down to personal preference. My friends always want me to pick the wine when we go out to dinner but I never want to. I would try different wines and find your favorite. I'm always skeptical of people of profess to have "the answer". If you like it, then it's good. If you love it, buy some more. Thank you for watching the channel - sorry I'm not being more helpful.
Devastated for you guys..😢
Thank you - it was rough. Not going to lie.
Uhm... I guess you picked a bottle that hasn't been perfectly stored, I would guess: sorry! My proposal would be to taste once a Musigny Grand Cru - but one finds there different producers and different vintages too.
Pino's are thin, acidic and austere. None of them are worth their price. They are better to sprinkle on your salad than drink.
Lol. You sound like my brother! (The Caymus lover)
Did it come from Rudy’s cellar? I could never trust Acker after what they did to buyers.
There are some scars from past sins for sure but Acker has been very forthcoming with the authentication and provenance of this particular bottle. I think they are considering something to make it up to our channel so we'll see. Stay tuned.
Oh, mate. Totally gutted for you and that wine. Begs the question as to why wine bottled using cork during that period with the known faults, demand such high prices. What is the failure rate? If you r ever in New Zealand, head to Central Otago for the amazing Pinots down there.
Don't know what the failure rate was between 1995 and 2005 but I suspect it was high. I would love to visit New Zealand!
These highly collectible wines can never live up to their lofty prices. To me, no wine is worth $100, much less 7k. I’ve been blown away by a $50 bottle of Burg - 1999 Simon Bize Aux Vergelesses. I would rather spend $7k on 140 different $50 bottles and find dozens of beautiful gems than one bottle that may or may not be great.
Don't disagree with your assessment. A lot of times expensive bottles are more about the rarity and exclusivity. I've certainly tried amazing bottles at $50!
@@OurPourDecisions100% agree with your statement. the grand cru and premier cru classification was created in 1855 and nowadays many of the sites are not living up to their standards anymore. reason for this is the ongoing climate change, resulting in too much exposure and heat in the famous vinyards, so the wine is no longer able to develop the complexity and elegance it used to have. therefore lesser known plots are now able to produce magnificent quality but people stil want the grand cru stamp on the lable of their wine and are willing to pay the price for it.
Have to disagree on the $100 limit. Although I have had my share of disappointing $200-400 bottles, there are some wines that are clearly worth it. The 2016 Chateau Pichon Baron, about $260 a bottle, is spectacular. Nearly any wine from the village of Chambolle Musigny will set you back a hundy, but will likely be sublime. Just my two cents! ☮️
Great video. However, the problem with conventional wine people/educators is that they don’t call it how it is like for example Gary Vaynerchuk does. It’s better to say straight up that this DRC wine is corked and will taste like shit no matter who is the producer, secondly the 10k bottle won’t taste much different to a great 50 dollar bottle, especially to a lay person who has not tasted a lot of wine. For newer wine drinkers it’s important to try many kinds of wines and learn what tastes good to your own pallet. Just going by price and thinking “it’s expensive, so it must be good” will lead you nowhere.
Happy to hear you liked the video! It's absolutely true - expensive is not always good.
I’m surprised they didn’t throw up.. wonder who paid for that bottle of yuck..
We did. :-(
You take risks at auction … I can’t tell if the wine has gone bad or a true representation of the vineyard and winemaker? Ok it was poorly maintained.
Agree on the risks of buying at auction. This wine was bought at their retail store.
@@OurPourDecisions if retail you should take it back .. your cellar conditions are immaculate. They would go back to their source. At a minimum they should know it went bad so they don’t buy from that source again. The winery would be beside themselves that you had a bad experience. In all the wine I drink I’ve only had a couple corked, but the wineries will replaced immediately.
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lol, you can’t breathe a wine by just taking the cork out.
Well done! But what a waste of money + a total disappointment!! Really not worth bothering with
Yes, such a bummer!
It's a little like crashing your car without insurance.
That's the perfect analogy! LOL
I was waiting for the woman in green hair to start screaming or make a tantrum. Disappointment of a video.
LOL. Sorry to let you down. Don't expect too much drama in our videos. :-)
not perfect?! wine has effectively become vinegar😅
buy a propper bottle omg, this is lame
I think that's part of the point - you never know when you buy a bottle of wine like that.
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why would you hold this for 22 years? how stupid.
I'd ask for a refund.
They should use fertiliser to get more grapes and then make more wine. Or they could use genetically modified grapes so they’re bigger
Overrated. Can't beat a good TraderJoes bottle. Ha.
Cool edm my man, I'm out 1:14
If a wine it's faulty (in this case bc it has VA), you shouldn't be jumping into conclusions and telling it's disapointing. The wine should be returned. It's a nice video, but it gives the impression that the conclusion is "La Tache is a dissapointing wine".
This was definitely not the conclusion that the video implies.